Of Scales and Tails
by DeathBright
Summary: MerDanny Danny is ripped from his home, changed against his will into a merman, and has to deal with a whole new world. The rules are hard to understand, and with someone trying to kill him at every turn how will he survive? DxS
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One, The Waiting Game.

* * *

Father and daughter hovered side by side, both haunted by the same feeling of fear. Neither knew what the King was planning, despite Jeremy's knowledge and friendship with the King from long before the man had taken the throne. The law and the crown would have different wants than the desires of friends.

The King had been in the study for hours, talking with his four other advisers, having told Jeremy he was to close to the situation to make rational judgment. Jeremy was sad to admit it, but this was true.

Now, cut off from their discussion, Jeremy's scales grew pale. Whatever his child had done, it was serious.

Sam couldn't tell her father what she did, because she didn't know herself. What should have been a warm-up exercise for her magic had quickly gone out of control. The teenage girl was lucky to be alive.

Jeremy was burning with anger at Desiree, the woman responsible for teaching his beloved daughter magic. The witch had been wrong - Sam had not been ready to start on her own. Regardless of Sam wanting nothing more than to master magic, clearly will was not everything.

At this moment Jeremy could not help but be nervous, knowing the four other counselors would be thinking of what was best for the kingdom, never just his child. Desiree and the King, too, would think that way. He couldn't blame them for what they would decide, knowing he would have done the same in their position. Still, this was Sam. The only thing left in his life.

Sam listened the best she could through the stone door. The only way past the door was magic. Sadly, the spells needed to hear through walls were not known to her. But that never stopped the girl from trying. She hated sitting idly by while others planned her fate. The thought almost made her blood boil.

Not knowing all the facts made everything that much harder to bear. Sam had done something, something that was now much bigger and possibly dangerous.

'But if it was dangerous they would be doing something about it, not fighting among themselves,' she thought.

"Little guppy, get away from the door," Jeremy called to his daughter half-heartedly. Sam flicked her fins in annoyance. Waiting was Jeremy's forte, something helped by being older. Sam lived closer to the here and now. The way most kids her age lived too. Jeremy knew he had been hot head until he had someone in his life. It was likely Sam would be the same way.

Time barely ticked by. Ticking, ticking. Sam was ready to tear her hair out. "It's been only an hour!?" she exclaimed after looking at the time.

Jeremy snapped to attention, partly surprised at the outburst, partly angry at Sam for it. She should have known better. This wasn't something new. He had been trapped in those meetings before. Sometimes they would go on for days, only stopping for meals or time to sleep. Those had been the worst.

But while he had hated them, they had been necessary. To take the kingdom out of war, there had been requirements, requirements often hard to meet. To do it, there had had to be sacrifices, and each counselor had their own idea of what they wanted to happen.

"Sam, perhaps it would be best if we went home. They will send a messenger when they are done."

Sam didn't like the idea but knew her father was right. Waiting here was making everything seem worse. She nodded. The castle might have been big, but they had no home there. Sam swam up to her father, leaving hand in hand.

* * *

Notes – I am happy with this I feel because Sam's and Jeremy's relationship is so different from the show, it was kind of needed. A lot of the story relays on the father/daughter relationship. I also don't see a lot of this in anything I read. The closest might be Percy Jackson and his own mother, but even then we see her once in the start of most books before disappearing.

This also will be a slow to update, but know this I work full time, I have very little time to myself and for writing. I will try for once a week!

A big thanks to my beta,

The Full Catastrophe. this wouldn't be happening without help.

Please don't be afraid to really point things out. This doesn't flow very well, this wasn't good. Thanks!

Please Review.


	2. Chapter 2

Desiree circled the egg. She was certain it was an egg. The soft, red shell was that like of fish eggs, if they were considerably larger. As it was nearly transparent, the mage could almost make out what was growing inside.

When the woman first thought it might be an egg, the thing inside had been much smaller. Not a full day later it had doubled in size. Desiree thought that seeing the egg growing would have settled her point, but the men didn't believe her, despite seeing it with their own eyes.

All too soon she would have to bring it back into the chamber, where the King and the others would be waiting to see it again, to look at it with fresh eyes and new thoughts. She knew no one would have changed their minds. They had simply had time to rethink their original arguments.

Desiree didn't want to go back inside. Once inside she would have to remain emotionless, never showing how interested she really was. The court life here was harsh and demanding. Everyone were sharks, perpetually hunting for weaknesses to use. Any interest shown in the egg would be like adding rocks to the lava. (1)

"My lady?" called a meek maid, bowing low before delivering the message Desiree had been dreading. "His Majesty the great King of Amity and his counselors are waiting for thee."

"Thank you," Desiree said to the girl, waving her away before turning back to the egg. Whatever was growing inside wouldn't be safe with the men. Was there perhaps a way she could learn what it was before taking it back in?

'There might be.'

Desiree thought of a plan. Though half baked, the idea could work. If only she were able to talk to Vlad before going through with it. She would just have to hope he went along with her ideas. They didn't know one another very well yet, and if the relationship had been purely professional then there would have been no way he would help her. But it wasn't purely professional.

No one outside the two of them knew they were courting. While they were still dancing around, trying to figure out if they had a real chance to be mates, they also wanted to do so without the eyes of the kingdom watching.

It was difficult, but fun too. The times they nearly got caught were the most fun she had had in ages.

In truth, they hadn't done more than talk. Some flirting, and private dinners. Desiree wanted the male to make the first move. Even so, the people who worked in the castle were getting suspicious. Rumors were going around. Desiree almost expected someone to say she was pregnant soon.

Feeling the eyes of the maid, Desiree wondered why the girl hadn't left by now. After a moment, Desiree understood. Smirking and pretending to go back to the egg, she watched the maid from the corner of her eye, watched the girl's eyes drawn down to the mage's stomach before looking away. It seemed like the rumors had gathered steam. Desiree almost wanted to laugh. Poor Vlad. He already had so much to worry about, and this was the last thing they, well, _he_ needed. She didn't care all that much about herself.

She was, after all, a foreign woman. Her looks and bright colors already drew attention, but spending time with the King, in an intimate matter? How dare she. Green, teal and pink were not common colors in the cooler waters. She was more of a tropical girl, from a parrot fish family.

"You can leave now," Desiree told the girl, not wanting to pay any more attention to the lowly help. She could think anything she wanted. In the end it wouldn't affect Desiree. The maid couldn't do anything more than gossip.

And Desiree had a meeting of four insufferable men to get to. The only potential upside would be the King.

'If I can get him to play along.'

Inside the world of the egg, the being flinched as the mage's magic surrounded its home.

I've cut this chapter short. I think it is good. Chapters will be getting longer as I go on. I'll admit Vlad and Desiree idea came from "Dawning of a Sun", by pearl84.

Thanks to Izi Wilson! My first reviewer.

And a BIG thanks to my beta, The Full Catastrophe! Thank you~

I'll be posting on Fridays around noon. Keep your eyes open.

(1)Can't say "fuel to the fire" now can I? The next best thing I can think of are volcanoes, they happen underwater too.


	3. Chapter 3

The room being used for the meeting was one of the most frequented rooms in the castle.

Unlike most rooms, this one had no windows. It made the room dangerous to use for long stretches. Without the flow of fresh water, the oxygen would be depleted in a period of four hours. Vlad liked to say this was for the purpose of taking regular meal breaks. But in truth it was an excuse to get away from the yelling. Having to stand long days surrounded by hardheaded, single-minded people, without the breaks the King would likely kill someone out of spite.

Desiree was happy to see that no one was in the room yet. Vlad usually kept the other council members away as long as possible; he liked to give her space to use her magic without Fright Knight yelling about it. The warrior was not a fan of magic. Of course, no one seemed to be.

Desiree knew why. Magic was mostly used as a weapon, and seeing pink surround the egg would be too much for the poor men folk. But the curvy mage didn't want clumsy servants lifting the thin-skinned egg.

The meeting room was always impeccably clean, as no one was allowed to bring anything in. Once in the pasted they could, but the king find those who would bring even the smallest things in would be distracted. Or would distract someone else. Today that rule had been temporarily removed. The council members wanted to be able to see the egg as they presented their guesses about it. The King's stone throne sat on a platform on the right side of the room. Next to the throne was a makeshift sand nest. Though at first Vlad didn't approve of it, Desiree had been able to change his mind. They had had nothing else with which to hold the egg, its large, round shape making it difficult to keep in one place.

The image of a nest had helped Desiree convince them this could be an egg. Most everyone had seen the nests of wild fish.

Slowly and carefully, Desiree placed the egg. If used right, magic could make everyday life easier. Some of the heaviest things in the ocean would weigh little more than newborns.

Even so, Desiree knew her own limits and was careful not to reveal them.

"Ahh," the rough voice of Fright Knight began . "The witch herself. What are you plotting, my dear?"

Inwardly, Desiree sighed. Though she had been expecting them to come at any moment, she had hoped Fright Knight would be one of the later arrivals. Donning a charming smile, Desiree turned. Out of all who could have come first, why did it have to be him?

The two of them clashed like fire and water. Neither was willing to give an inch to the other. Each was working to make different things happen. Desiree thought it might be because of the fact she had magic, and the fact that Fright Knight had been on the front lines during the times of battle. Those warriors would take the worst of the blows of magic. And those who survived, after getting too old to fight anymore, were the ones who hated magic the most.

Fright Knight was currently the chief of staff. When it came to battle, he was the one they turned to. But during this time of peace Vlad had worked so hard for, Fright Knight felt useless.

He had grown up in a world filled with war. Watching mers die all around. It was hard for him to sit still as they worked to bring the land back to life. To give the people time to be people again, and to trust in anyone outside the family.

The great war had taken an immense toll on Amity. They didn't even have an army anymore. If other kingdoms knew, they would have been taken over a long time ago. This was why they all had to work together, each thinking of a part of that dream to make it whole.

However, seeing this sly woman always boiled Fright Knight's blood. Her goals were clear to him. She wanted not to help, but to rule. The King couldn't see it, blinded by her beauty and drawn in by her power. The knight was not afraid to admit she did possess beauty and an attractive, curvy form. It was what lay under that, her ambitions, that he did not trust.

That smile told him of trouble to come. What was she cooking up?

"Hello, Fright. I was just putting the egg back."

"That _thing_ is not an egg!" he snapped.

"Careful knight, someone might hear you."

The petty games of court were the worst. This they could both agree on. But when one found a weak spot, nothing could make the finder back down.

Fright Knight didn't want to believe the thing was alive. If it was, then magic had just found a new foothold, and mers would flock back to the old ways.

Fright Knight believed there was no honor in fighting with magic. Body counts would lose meaning, and the great war would run wild again. If mers could be born from magic, why would anyone waste time finding a mate?

The kingdom of Amity would be one of many to fall, to become only a footnote in history. They didn't have many people as it was. The last thing they needed was an enemy who could magically birth mers, doubling, even tripling the population.

"What are you so afraid of?" Desiree asked, voice sickly sweet, hoping to push more buttons. If she could keep him talking, he would be the one eating the time away until one of the others showed up.

Speak of the devilfish.

"Fright Knight," the King called cooly, swimming into the room in all his regal glory. Vlad had always seemed to demand the attention in a room. Even before becoming King, the man knew he had something special. A way of demanding the most from the mers around him. They looked up to the lionfish king, despite his young age and lack of experience.

The mage and knight both bowed, showing nothing but complete respect for their king. But they met one another's eyes, each knowing the other did not want to back down.

'This isn't over,' echoed through their minds.

Not for the first time today, Vlad wanted to sigh. He wanted nothing more than to call it a day. To go back to his bed, and have Jeremy there at the council in the morning. Jeremy was the peacekeeper among the King's counselors, able to find middle ground when the others wouldn't budge. If was of course for the best when Vlad asked him to stay out of this meeting. That did not mean he, as a friend, didn't want him there. Few could read a room like a betta could.

Vlad trusted few as much as he did Jeremy. Putting one's life in someone's hands was on a different level than trust.

"My lord."

"My King."

Fright Knight and Desiree both tried to get the King's attention first.

Raising a hand, Vlad said, "I don't want to hear it. Once everyone is here, I want the door closed." Vlad settled himself comfortably on the throne, and focused his mind on the matter at hand. The 'stone', as he had come to call it, had come no closer to being named a threat or not. Once that was established they would - or they might - do something about it.

No one hated the indecisiveness of the council more than Vlad. When he was younger, he thought being King meant he would get things done. He thought by the end of the first week he'd be done with all of the plans he had. He could not have been more wrong. While the King might have the highest power, there were other people he had to go though. If they didn't like the plan it was sent back to him.

Hours could be lost fighting about how a document was worded. Just to add "Mer" or take away "and".

Still, after all was said and done, Vlad liked being King.

Odd place to stop, but I feel this isn't the worst place to end it.

I know bettas are freshwater fish, but I love them. They can be bright or dark colored and that works out better for this story. Also, I really hate laptops. Really, really do. I've had to rewrite whole paragraphs thanks to the f****** mousepad.

I'll be slow to update. I know this sucks, but working full time with split shifts makes life hard for writing. There is a small chance that I might get a normal work time. But it depends on the person who has it now. If her body can't take it anymore, I can step in. Childcare is hard.

Thank you, The Full Catastrophe for all your help! Everything always looks much better after she reads through it.


	4. Chapter 4

Desiree held back another yawn. Shortly after the King had gotten there the other three had come, and they jumped right back into doing-

nothing.

Everything had gone right back to an argument. Maybe this time it went a little faster into yelling. And of course Fright Knight had been the first to raise his voice.

The red-eyed woman tried to get the King's attention without drawing the others' eyes. It hard being discrete in a locked room. But making eye contact was not working. His mind seemed to be wandering off. This was odd for Vlad. He loved his kingdom and was willing to do whatever he thought was best for it. Sometimes that meant hearing every argument that these buffoons could think of. Was today an off day? She knew how much of a headache Fright Knight could cause.

"This stone represents every fear we have of magic. It-" Desiree was certain Fright Knight was pulling this long speech out of no where. The mage also had a strong feeling this would have been a good motivational speech if it was to the masses. Those who were uneducated in magic, those who didn't know the King and his five counselors were taking every pain-staking measure to protect them, might find this scary.

Vlad seemed more than happy to let the menfolk yell it out. She would have liked to know what he was thinking, if the incessant shouting would lighten up.

In reality, the King was watching the advisors with a critical eye. Something in the room was making him tense. For a lionfish it was hard to look calm and collected when one's barbs would flare out at any sign of agitation. This wasn't usually a difficult thing for Vlad to hide, having had over forty years to learn how.

However as the strange, almost ominous, feeling wasn't going away, his sullen mood was becoming harder to hide.

'What in the seven seas is going on?'

It felt like there was a predator in their midst. But the very thought was ridiculous. Vlad knew he was, by far, the strongest in the room. Whether it was strength or wits, few could beat him.

Still it bothered him not knowing the source of that dangerous aura.

Looking at Desiree, Vlad could feel his body relax just a hair. No, it could not be the mermaid he was quietly courting. She was easy to read and would let her aggressor know what they had done right away.

He continued to look around the room but could not quite put his finger on it.

Fright Knight was simply being annoying, yelling at everyone, despite the fact that no one was listening to him anymore. His cries of sharks and war were nothing new. Vlad kept him around because the black-skinned mer was brilliant at his job. His being overly paranoid was why the Kingdom had not been taken over while the treaty was being negotiated.

Turning to Nocturne, Vlad didn't see anything pointing to this mer as a threat. Although he certainly could have been if he had any ambition for the crown. Nocturne didn't, and he never had. He was happy in his place, having secured it long before the current king ever went into battle. He fed off dreams, and the happier the people were the more dreams they had.

Nocturne was quietly chatting with Undergrowth, under the barrage of Fright Knight's speech. It was funny how the two weakest banded together.

The last of the advisers, Walker, obviously didn't care to be here. He looked asleep, hat pulled over his eyes. The Warden was leaning back against the wall, seemingly wiithout a care in the world.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. Unless something could be arrested, the white mer just didn't care. Throw it in jail. Problem solved. This was his philosophy.

So the threat was not someone in the room. The King's eyes turned slowly to the stone. Its shine seemed duller, the color having shifted into a more orange-red than the bright red it was. He had never heard of a stone that changed color over the course of a few hours. Again, one of his thick eyebrows rose, surprised.

Perhaps Desiree was onto something.

The water was getting colder, the air getting thinner. All eyes were watching Vlad and his outstretched hand, getting closer, closer to the egg. His glowing red eyes piercing into the thin, protective skin, wanting to read the secrets it was holding.

The blacked-haired king could have sworn it moved.

"I-" Vlad whispered, "I think it might be alive."

Fright Knight paled. No, it couldn't be alive. And if it was, the thing inside could not have been created by magic. Magic couldn't create a living creature out of nothing. The cost would be too high, and the only danger of making this stone had been passing out for a few hours.

But just because the King thought it might be live doesn't mean it was.

Say it was alive - what kind of thing would hatch? Would it be an animal, only bigger? Would they maybe have their own kraken?

Though he would admit it to no one, it was a silly dream of his to yell, "Release the kraken!" on the battlefield and see all the men cower in fear. The black merman did not hold many such dreams, but this one was born legends. He found it hard to lose a childhood dream.

Not so long ago the krakens were common on the ocean floor. They were taken in as war animals, bloody on the battlefield, capable of taking many lives before falling to magic. Now they were extinct, and those who had killed them were following.

Fright Knight was a little more edutated than most. He knew a little about everything, but was only a master of army plans. Likewise, he knew a little about magic - know thy enemy and all that. Very few who didn't have direct contact with magic knew how helpful it could be. There were battle mages, healers, and others. Knight didn't care much to learn about the more mundane magic users, though.

Briefly he wondered what category this summon would fall into. It sound liked it branched off from basic summoning. From his own understanding of the story Jeremy's daughter told, it could be… He would have to think on this. If it were true, the repercussions could be used to his advantage.

Finding out what was in the egg have to come first.

"My King?" Desiree asked breathlessly. She was unable to take her eyes off his large hand. Getting closer, closer. Something was going to happen. Magic was now bouncing between the king's outstretched hand and the egg. To her knowledge the king never learned to feel blaut up magic. This was the most she ever felt. It was like the egg was waiting for someone to touch it. Now that she thought about it, that might have been why she hadn't wanted anyone to do so.

This wasn't good.

Before the first word could even form on her lips, Vlad crossed the last inch. The room held its breath. They waited, their eyes never moving until the clawed hand met the surface of the egg.

When nothing happened Desiree felt both silly and relieved. She was unable to hold back a roar of laughter. She held nothing back.

Soon Vlad's deep laugh joined hers.

Hours passed. Feeling like it had been forever, Desiree wanted nothing more than to go and have some dinner. A dinner Vlad and Desiree planned to share. She felt giggly; she wanted to swim right up to him and give him a kiss. But the brightly colored mer was able to keep herself composed.

With a tilt of her head the council room door glowed with her inner power before opening. It was simple, fast, and the very same type of magic she would be doing with the egg once the others had left.

By the way the advisors swam, it was clear each thought themselves important. With great confidence they left, one after the other.

Vlad watched them leave. No one chatted on the way out. No one asked about families or tried to discuss the issues at hand. There were not many compared to other kingdoms. The lion fish king did not mind; at this moment it did not matter. What did matter was if their plans would work. Sadly, as with everything, they would need time to find out.

In the presence of the advisers, or anyone, Vlad had to be the King. He could show no weakness. He had to be strong, alert, and active in thought at all times. Now alone for all but Desiree, he let out a long grown.

The growl Vlad released reminded her that besides Amity's ruler, he was a man. As much as she hated to forget, his kingly mask was amazing. Without flaw.

Still, after all this time, she knew very little about the real man, hiding under the crown.

"Vlad," she said softly.

"Not here." Vlad opened his eyes. He was hungry, tired, and feeling depleted from over-thinking. Hours before when he touched the skin of the egg it felt like something had been sucked from his body. The thought wouldn't leave.

"I want to leave. Take the egg, Desiree. You know what to do with it." With that, Vlad swam tiredly into the darkness of the halls before Desiree could even bow. It was something she didn't need to do anymore, when they were alone. Although the mage still bowed in public places, she was too shocked to do so now.

They had had plans that night.

It looked like those plans would be pushed back.

'Well, another time then.' A low whine escaped with the sad thought. This wasn't shocking. They had planned the date before this fiasco happened. Still, that didn't stop the disappointment from bearing on her heart.

The room felt so cold without other people. The quiet stonework of the walls did nothing to make the room visually distracting, so nothing would draw the eyes of the men inside, as they bickered and argued over what to do or how to do it. Desiree felt alone. For the first time since she came to this kingdom, she felt truly alone. It was foolish, to allow herself to feel this way after V- the King had left. But sometimes there was no helping things.

Her knowledge, power and sex meant little or nothing to those who didn't agree with everything she is. A woman in power with no ties to the kingdom. None of this changed the fact that mysterious summoning was an egg. One that would likely hatch before the _men_ had agreed on what to do to get rid of it.

That was fine. Desiree had affiliations with other kingdoms. None of her associates there were kings or queens, but at least they had the ear of said rulers. They could take care of her should she need it.

But the mermaid didn't wish to resort to that. Mages were rare, and wandering mages were not trusted. Sadly her life was made that much harder by her passion. Many mages, witches - whatever names they went by - had tarnished magic's reputation. Now if rumors of a frightful death didn't stop a mer from learning magic, it was the distrust they would be dealt, for the rest of their lives.

Desiree could have spent her whole life in one kingdom but still be watched like a spy.

Oh, Poseidon. What did she get herself into?

Desiree was tired, tired of more than just Amity's King and advisers. She was tired of fighting for her rights as a woman, and as a mage.

She was tired of living.

Fighting, clawing, working, plodding up the way of power and still having very little to show for it.

The words 'Foolish mortals' crossed the witch's mind before she called on the magic within. As a person who had mastered magic she knew she would naturally live longer. Magic pulled in energies from the world around the user. In the sea there was always life nearby. From the smallest plankton to the largest whale. Though Desiree was still mortal herself, it was fun to call the others that. Doing so sent a wave of pleasure through her. Yes, it was fun to call them that.

Thrusting her arm out at the egg, Desiree sent out a wave of pink. It surrounded the egg. No words were needed, just will and imagination. It was a shield to guard the egg.

It would be fine here tonight. Desiree didn't want to think about its mysteries. As fun as it could be, dreams of love and lust were sweeter. Shutting the door, the witch went to her chambers.

Far away in her bed, Sam screamed in pain.

End Chapter

Please review! Tell me if you liked it, if you didn't!

Who are they at war with?

Why I am putting the barest amount of detail in my story?

Because when you know what someone looks like would you look every single time you see them? No, when Danny comes you'll get a lot of answers. I promise.


	5. Chapter 5

Right away, Sam knew she was in a dream. She knew for she was in the meeting room, door behind her, the great stone used to close the room cold at her back. The one that not even a day ago she was waiting outside of, fear eating at her every thought, taking over every feeling. Fear for her future, for the egg, for her father. For everything.

Even now, in her sleep, she could feel the weight of it all on her slim shoulders.

The egg was there. Sam, like Desiree, knew it was an egg. No… She hadn't known that. But she knew it now, in the way one often realizes things in dreams. The knowledge came easy, like reading. Having not seen the egg before now, Sam wanted to take it in.

'Big changes are coming,' the dream hinted to her, like a whisper under her skin. But Sam paid no attention. It wasn't something she cared about. The egg was the only thing on her mind. It didn't look anything like she thought it would. It drew her eye, and seeing it now made her feel sick.

The color of the egg seemed to have dulled over the night. The once shiny and healthy sheen was now an ugly brown. Bumps rose and fell over its surface, like the being inside was trying everything in its lacking strength to get out. Small cooes could be heard from it. They were odd, though, almost pained.

Sam felt her chest grow tight. Her...it… the egg was in pain. Because of her. Because her magic did something different from what she had intended. All Sam had been trying to do was summon a dolphin. The spell was a simple warm-up, right off the list Desiree had given her the night before.

But the teen knew now what went wrong. With magic, it was necessary to have your heart and mind on the outcome. Fear was one of the major reasons few people could do it. Letting your mind wander while casting a spell could be disastrous and was therefore the biggest taboo. And thinking back on it, her mind had flickered to something else, something that wasn't the need to bring a dolphin to her.

The cooes started to die down and Sam's core nearly stopped. This was wrong. The feeling crawled deep within her stomach, like tiny fish fluttering. The egg shouldn't have been quiet, and it should have been the same color that was blushing from the heart within.

The egg was dying.

Frantic, Sam tried to swim to it, desperate to find whatever was wrong. This was all her fault. They say the worst fear of a mother is for her baby to die. What did that make Sam? A mother? Or was she a monster?

Pushing her tail with all her strength, she tried and tried to get to the egg. But something was pushing her back, like the world itself was trying to push her back. She screamed her frustration.

The egg screeched suddenly in pain, and she felt it every bit, like a thousand needles were being driven into her skin at once. Sam screamed. She needed to get to the egg. It, no, he needed her now more than ever.

* * *

Nothing had the power to stop a heart like the scream of one's child. The moment Jeremy heard his loving daughter scream, he was in motion. Never before had he moved so fast. Even before, when Sam was little and screamed at nighttime shadows, it was nothing like this blood-chilling cry. There was pain in it, horror, and so much else Jeremy didn't want to understand. He didn't have time to think, only act.

From his little study he swam as fast as he could. His long tail - white, deep violet and blue - whipped back and forth behind him. His kind were not built for speed, but he moved shockingly fast despite the cumbersome length of his tail.

He shot into the front hall before slamming into Sam's dark room, bumping into the archway as he went. Later he would thank the fact they didn't have doors.

Sam was on her bed. Her eyes were bulging out, glowing white with inner power. She was clawing at her chest. Blood leaked out, swirling into the salty water around screaming never stopped.

Jeremey instantly kicked himself into action. He had no idea what to do in this situation. But doing only the things he knew needed to stop, now.

Most important, he needed to stop her from hurting herself.

Being a male betta did have some advantages. For example, he was stronger than most, as bettas used to be bred as fighting fish. It was in their nature to fight. Holding down a juvenile wasn't so hard.

The father had expected Sam to wake up when he held her. When she didn't, he was forced to take further steps.

Jeremy tried to restrain her. Bettas didn't have claws like some other types of merfolk, but his daughter tried to use her weak nails on his strong arms to break his hold.

Sam thrashed! Trapped within a half dream state, she thought the merman holding her down was an enemy, holding her back, trying to stop her. Before long the magical draw on her core was too much and Sam passed out.

The fight felt like it lasted forever, but in reality it was less than a minute. Jeremy still held on, not knowing what to do and taking in the fact that she had stopped fighting. When a fight like that ends, people don't immediately understand that it has ended. Jeremy had heard this, but it wasn't something he ever thought would happen. After the father thought it was safe, he dared to let Sam go, holding his breath as he released Sam's wrists.

She needed a healer, and not a normal family one. A birther wouldn't be edutated on...whatever had just happened to Sam. They needed a master healer. A master healer was just as the title suggested. They had the starting education, but unhappy with only that, went after knowledge on their own.

Jeremy was typically uncomfortable around them, knowing how they got their knowledge. Taking the bodies of the fallen on the battlefield, opening them up, studying them to understand how this worked and why that worked.

Opening the dead was unspeakable. He knew a lot of people saw it as a sin. Jeremy didn't believe that, but he still wasn't comfortable with it. Even so, knowing how many lives it had changed, how many lives have saved, helped to shed a nicer light on the scientists.

Jeremy knew the master healer at the castle, the only one in this kingdom. And because at some point Technus started making nightly house calls, he wouldn't feel too bad asking for a favor. However, leaving Sam, even for a moment, was not something he wanted to do.

Making up his mind, Jeremey knew what he had to do. It wouldn't be easy. Mers in general were not made to carry one another. Bettas like him and his daughter were even harder to carry.

He just hoped she didn't attack him on the way.

* * *

The healer's office was, at one point, a very nice place. The walls were made of smooth, white stone, as was tradition. In the past, white was meant to show how clean a place was. It helped paint a nicer picture. As though it wasn't the study of a mad scientist, cutting open a body, face completely covered in blood.

Technus had let the King design the study. Not only was it Vlad's castle, but he also took a large part in building it. Technus both did and did not care. He liked the fact that the King was so involved in his Kingdom, but he was more interested in his research. If letting the King decorate his office was the only cost, the healer would happily let him run free.

Another part of Technus was happy to not have to deal with the small details. There was only so much time, and brainpower, in a day. Anyway, the office was pleasing to the eye. He had no complaints.

The yellowtail fusilier mer knew many things, some of which would take others generations to learn. For instance, that some illnesses run in families. That a parent's years could tell about how long the offspring would live. He loved uncovering things like that and tried to utilize his days to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. But at this he was also at a disadvantage. War took a lot from everyone. He didn't know how much time he had.

No one ever knows such a thing. But Technus, even if he would die tomorrow, knew he would leave the world in a better place. Already he had detailed logs about how the body works. Things never known before. He had written down the rules of the body the rest of the world didn't know, yet.

The most shocking thing might have been how similar everyone was on the inside.

While Technus did not care for draining blood from his samples or for dealing with living people, it was fun to find out how the body worked. Especially, he was interested in the merfolk core. The core was like the heart to every other living creature. There was no other race that had cores like they did.

There were so few interested in learning more about the core, thinking it was simple. There were two kinds of cores, one magic for cold cores, and the other for heat. That was all anyone needed to know.

Technus knew from a young age this wasn't true. He had known elders with hot cores that were better at magic than those with the cold cores. That was just one example of many of the subtleties of mer cores.

Like Technus, the King was also interested, and so funded the master healer and sent him a supply of "volunteers". As salt melts back into the sea, a core will disappear as a mers' life ends. But no, he didn't cut his volunteers open. Rather, he asked them a thousand questions and then had them use their cores in different tasks.

In return for the unwilling test subjects, he had to be the Master Healer at the castle. This meant he had to work through the night. It was always at odd hours when someone chose to die, or give birth, or something else that would similarly wake him up.

Tonight would be no different, he mused. So, as the night went on, Nicolai went about his business, doing little things he wouldn't have time to do in the day.

Like rewriting his notes into a more legible hand. The narrow lines were almost impossible to read on their own. He was changing them into a book with a fancy cover. The lines were now loopy, flowery letters that were much easier to read.

Only those mers with hot cores could use parchment. They, or someone with a heat-charged keystone, filled with a hot core's power. Writing was done by burning letters into the parchment, which was made from eel skin.

His goal was to give names to the types of cores. He knew already there were more than two. His theory was that there were at least four, maybe five basic types. From there would be branches as subcategories. Those were harder to determine, and often the volunteers had to come back for weeks.

He would love to talk about all the things he discovered with someone. But when he tried, everyone seemed to grow glassy eyed.

Perhaps if those he tried to talk to had a basic education. Knowledge was wonderful, but he found the public lacking.

Desiree might be a good woman to talk to. Her education and skill with her own core might lead to interesting conversations. It was not every day such a bountiful person came to the kingdom. He was a little late to the party. Well...probably. If he wasn't always the on-call healer, he might know more folk outside the castle walls. To his knowledge she had settled down around two months ago.

He wouldn't dare leave the people in the hands of his apprentices. They were as sharp as a river stone. But then they were ten years old and younger. Three boys and two girls. There were many times he wanted nothing more than to kill them, and other times he couldn't be prouder of them.

Technus shut the book. He was finally done with his notes from a month ago. To his right sat a stack of loose papers, barely held together by stones to keep the days in order.

Rubbing his neck, the thin man let himself think for a moment. This was about the time someone would rush in. No knock, only hysterical yelling and gasping for breath.

The door flew open.

'Right on time.'

* * *

Not wasting a second, Technus led Jeremy to the operating room. The moment the healer swam in, keystones built into the walls lit up, bright within the white walls. The betta had never seen any place so bright before. Without missing a beat, Technus went to the table, gesturing down at it.

"Here."

Jeremy was still partly blind when he tried to lay his daughter down, and blinked his eyes frantically in the bright lights.

"What happened?" asked the healer.

"I- she." Still shaking from before, Jeremey took a breath, trying to find the words before he told the story. Technus listened, checking the girl as he did so. He had seen her around a few times, but never talked to her before.

Red eyes behind glasses took everything in. Nimble hands worked fast, used to the motions. He hoped he could help the girl.

* * *

Mere rooms away, the skin broke open. A single hand was weakly trying to pull apart the shell around it. The hole became bigger. Green yoke mixed and swirled with the fresh, clean water on the outside.

Within the broken shell, Danny took his first breath.

* * *

END!

Muhahahahaha!

What do you think? Good, Bad? Do you like the way Danny came into the world?

My Technus is based off Leonardo Da Vinci. I always thought he was really interesting. He also is telling a lot of thoughts I've been wanting to tell about cores for a long time. I just didn't know how to explain. The Mer world is young, they don't have the history we land crawlers do. Thank you so much for helping me with everything The Full Catastrophe!


	6. Chapter 6

Girls and boys, here is chapter six!

* * *

His chest was cold… He felt weak. Like when he would get sick, but worse. It had hurt. And now he was numb. He...couldn't feel his legs.

* * *

The scratches were unlike anything Technus had ever seen. They were long and thin, but instead of fevered, they were cold to the touch. While that shouldn't have been anything new to a Mer with a cold core, to Sam it was. And even then, they were far colder than he had ever felt before, reminding the healer of the far, far away kingdoms of the south.

As they were the frozen kingdoms, those lands were safe from invasion. Mers from warmer waters couldn't stand to be in the ice long. He similarly couldn't, and had yet to meet those willing to try.

When Jeremy brought in his daughter, Technus thought he had seen ice on the claw marks. The blood, Jeremy's panic, and his own doubt made him hesitate to say anything. Now he was positive on what he had seen, as the bleeding would have been far worse without it.

Ice… For a long time the healer thought ice might have been another core type - that it would be the main type of core in the southern seas. But he didn't have physical proof.

Cold was different from ice. Cold would be a water core. When they all lived under the sea, water wasn't seen as special. Ice would be a step beyond. Taking his theory, it would mean he was right!

A knock jarred him from his thoughts. He barely held back a sigh. Protective parents were a healer's bane. At least the adviser had a good reason to worry.

Technus reached under the table and flipped a switch, remotely unlocking the thin stone door across the room.

Jeremy peeked inside. After being scolded like a child for hovering over the healer, he had been kicked out of the room, but not before finding out how the master healer liked to threaten. He had a great room to do so in. Over seven different knives lay within arm's reach.

"Do you know how many kinds of poisons I have in my collection?" the creepy doctor had asked, while thumping a needle. It worked on getting the merman out for some time. But like all good things, it came to an end.

Jeremy had not known, and the way it was said scared him out of his mind.

"How is she?" Jeremy asked, cooly, upon being readmitted to the room. On the outside he was once again the King's right hand man, looking as though nothing could shake him. The calm exterior made it seem like he had been freshly cleaned - like he hadn't been up half the night. With a tail like that it wasn't easy. On the inside his composure shook like the eye of a storm. He reminded himself time and time again that he did everything he could have done. Sam would have hurt herself worse if he hadn't reacted.

Although Technus truthfully had to think for a moment, he also wanted to see the betta squirm a little. Jeremy had a reputation for being the calmest of the advisers, and rarely showed more emotion than the King, who was an expert at keeping his thoughts to himself. For once he wanted to feel power over someone higher on the chain before letting them off the hook.

"There was no damage to any major veins or arteries. Her nails were too dull to do any real damage, unless they had been combined with magic. But I am worried about this seemingly random spasm. Mers don't just try to dig out their cores. Nightmare or not.

"Tell me something. Has there been a big change in her life? Something stressful?"

A lump built in Jeremy's throat. Keeping eye contact was very important. Feeling his fins fan out, he struggled to not show aggression. His first instinct was to be defensive, because what his daughter did was a secret no one could know.

...Vlad would have to forgive him. Her life was more important than a secret. Jeremy blurted out the whole story. Every detail he could remember. He wanted to go retrieve the written account, but thought that might be too much. The lionfish King could only forgive so much.

When he got to the part about the stone, Nicolai's interest peaked. Summons were normal, and were often pursued.

"But after summoning the stone, she passed out-"

"Wait, she passed out? Why did I not hear of this before?"

"Um-" That was a good question. Jeremy quickly pieced together an excuse. "Because it was a small case of core exertion. Both her mentor and a healer from town looked her over." Technus frowned feeling like he should have been called for. The King was close to this family. It wouldn't have been odd if he examined the girl before. He might have even had her stay for the night, thinking observation would have been needed anyway.

He would have stopped her before she could cause so much self harm.

"You should have come to me," Technus said, looking sternly into Jeremy's eyes.

Jeremy was unable to hold the stare for long, knowing the master healer was right. He should have asked, no, _demanded_ for a second opinion. He hadn't felt right in the first place, leaving it like that.

The moment the stone had been summoned a wave of incredible power pushed through the city. Many had swum away in terror, fearing a new attack on the castle. The power never dissipated. Many Mers were still in hiding, even after seeing there was no damage.

"You're right… But can you tell me how she is?"

Technus took a deep breath, shaking the fins at the bottom of his tail out of habit.

"From what I can see she is fine. The cuts have already scabbed over. However something has drained her core, again. She'll be weak for a while after this. But given time and rest she'll be back to her old self. I want her to say here for a week."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jeremy felt the world lift from his shoulders. He didn't know what he'd do without Sammy. He hoped he would never have to find out.

* * *

The song of the humpback whale was long and soulful, beautiful and lonely. Danny had heard it a handful of times in his life. Living near the beach, he always looked for one in the morning. It was the only time he had alone, before his mother or father would run into his room, excited to start the day.

He both loved and hated that. Thankfully, he was rarely woken up by their antics. Instead, it was usually the quiet steps of his sister starting her own morning routine that roused him.

Hearing the whale song now woke Danny up. It sounded closer than it ever had before. He wanted to see it.

But his bed was so comfortable - warm, small and his own.

It took a lot to crack open his eyes. And when he was able to to comprehend where he was, or more like where he was not, he startled fully awake.

* * *

The whale song resounded through the city. To the farms nearby the punctual sound was both a curse and blessing. Mers used it as a wake-up call, while some others like Desiree used it to make appointments: "Meet me at the whale song."

On a normal day, Sam would be swimming as fast as she could through the cloth door that separated the sleeping chamber from Desiree's cleaning room, singing 'sorry!' as she came in. That girl was always late. Desiree would laugh, remembering doing the same thing in her youth.

At some point she started thinking of Sam as her own family. Not a daughter, but maybe like a little sister. They would talk together as the mage finished cleaning up, brushing her pink and teal scales, loving the way they were tipped with the lightest bit of gold. Brushing her long black hair, while having Sam brush her back scales. Then she would do the same for Sam.

Deep within the mage's core, she feared for Sam. She feared many things, but the biggest fear was the decision of the council. Not that she would ever say it out loud - it would be admitting weakness. No, she could weather this.

And so Desiree waited.

Knowing Sam wouldn't be coming in was different from seeing the reality of it. Not having the girl rush in was odd. She... missed the girl. Her red eyes softened, before becoming hard. This wasn't the time to miss her. Sam's life was in danger now, or could be soon. Nothing was clear right now...

Gingerly Desiree started her cleaning routine at the bottom of her hair. She didn't like the feeling of having to skip her back.

* * *

He thrashed, his arms waving, tail spasming. Danny couldn't understand his new tail. Fear ran free. He tried to get away from it, finding it was indeed part of him as it followed.

Scales rose with his fear, his white glow becoming stronger. Soon it lit up the room as if the sun itself was there.

It wasn't until it happened that he noticed, he had swum straight through the wall!

* * *

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